Week of March 19, 2006
Personnel:
Maik Hirschfeldt - Guitar, Bass, Synths, Flute, Vibes
Dolly Holmes - Vocals, Keyboards, Mellotron
Albums:
LP: Emtidi (Thorofon ATH 109) 1971
LP: Saat (Pilz 20 29077-8) 1972
CD: Arcangelo, ARC-7043, Japan 2006; Spalax Germany 2003; OHR-ZYX:70008-2
Germany
Emtidi were a duo comprising the German Maik Hirschfeldt and the Canadian
Dolly Holmes. Their first album was a low budget production, released in a very
limited quantity on the minor Thorofon label. The music presented here was a
somewhat ordinary kind of acoustic folk. Far more interesting and completely
different was Emtidi's classic second album ‘Saat’, made with a solid
involvement from Dieter Dierks (engineer, bass, mellotron, percussion) in the
Dierks Studio, Stommeln in February 1972. Here is a complete run-down of this
absolutely essential album: "Walkin' The Park" started side one - the
first half of it was a quiet, lush folk song with treated acoustic guitars and
electric piano, this running into a furious acid guitar solo. "Traume"
was a nonsensical interlude with wordless vocals, floating keyboards, vibes and
jew harp, while the long track "Touch The Sun" finished side one. For
several minutes an electronically treated organ created a cosmic atmosphere
similar to vintage Klaus Schulze or Ash Ra Tempel. Then the track
developed into a beautiful folk ballad, which Holmes sang in her most angelic
voice. "Love Time Rain", opening side two, was a short folk-rock song
recalling British groups like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span.
Tile title piece "Saat" was another acoustic showcase, but far more
cosmic sounding than the previous track. The concluding track "Die Reise"
was the only one with German lyrics, sung by Hirschfeldt. It could be argued
that the energetic sections of this track ruined the relaxed atmosphere
elsewhere on the album, but otherwise it was a great track. Luckily, this album
is now available on CD on the Galaxis label. An original Pilz copy in decent
condition will set you back at least 100 DEM.
Taken from Cosmic Dreams at Play - A guide to German Progressive and Electronic Rock by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-01-7